Public Schools Belong to Everyone, Except Those Who Would Destroy Them - Avery Welkin

Public Schools Belong to Everyone, Except Those Who Would Destroy Them — Avery Welkin

Imagine a school board meeting in a suburban county in the US. Not long ago, these meetings would have been attended by a mix of students presenting issues or accolades they have in school, tax watchdogs monitoring spending, and parents seeking to get their voices heard on problems large and small. However, there is a new group who have been not-so-silently building up their position to present to school boards, and any media who will listen: those who oppose public education altogether.

Whether through veiled references to too many “uncomfortable” topics being taught, or outright threats to remove their student for homeschooling or private school, these voices are ultimately part of a mass movement in the US to destabilize, defund, and destroy the institution of public schools.

While this may sound like hyperbole, this has actually been a documented effort by researchers and educators who trace this movement to the backlash against the Civil Rights Movement, Tea Party politics, and the rise of the element of the political right linked to racial resentment. It is also important to note that most of these speakers and parents do not explicitly state that this is their aim. Couched in terms of “religious freedom” or curricular “appropriateness”, these coordinated efforts by groups like Moms for Liberty are having the effect of disrupting the normal operations of school boards as well as creating a dangerous environment for minoritized teachers, students, and families. Without a clearer understanding of this movement, those who believe in public education run the risk of sending students into an increasingly unstable and unsafe environment, until there are ultimately only private options left. It is time for defenders of public education to recognize this risk for what it is, and mobilize to provide a counter-narrative of community support for public schools. 

The truth is that in American society’s democratic ideal, public schools are for everyone. Even though the reality is that public schools were designed with a narrower focus on serving the white and wealthy, it is very clear now that this is not the goal.

Public schools are one of the few spaces, along with public libraries, where American society at all socioeconomic levels, racial/ethnic identities, and abilities are welcome to learn without an expectation of spending money. Research and history consistently show that educating youth is one of the best investments for a society’s health and longevity, which makes our chronic underinvestment all the more perplexing.

The stakes are high if we let detractors of public education seize the narrative about the institution’s decline, only to replace it with privatization and religious instruction. We know from recent data that students in private schools disproportionately have higher socioeconomic status, and this generally leads to better academic outcomes. But this should be all the more reason to invest in public schools for everyone, not just for those who can pay. Just like the rest of the American Dream, it will take a fight to achieve the promise of strong public schools that serve everyone well.

You may read this and think: if public schools are for everyone, then don’t the Moms for Liberty have just as much of a right to have their say as anyone else? In a legal sense, of course they do. Our 1st Amendment rights absolutely protect freedom of speech as long as it is not an imminent threat of violence. However, from an ethical standpoint, it is important to consider the Paradox of Tolerance: to have a functional democratic society, the only viewpoint that one cannot tolerate is intolerance. Specifically, in philosopher Karl Popper’s articulation of this principle, you cannot tolerate those who would do away with tolerance. This includes those who refuse to engage in rational, good faith argument over the issues at hand. I would argue that this is exactly the position of those who are leading the charge at school boards across the country to do away with discussions of race, gender, complex history, and freedom of information. They represent an existential threat to public schools because a pluralistic, freely informed, and secular government and society presents a challenge to their narrow, intolerant worldview.

How can this movement be stopped before it further demoralizes public education into a dysfunctional shadow of its purported democratic aims?

We need a community of supporters for every school and every board who are willing to not only stand up against the claims of these reactionary groups, but who are willing to invest in and celebrate the great work that takes place in public schools every day. Even as regard for teachers drops to new lows, public confidence in public schools remains strong in the face of a constant onslaught of negative press and a lack of resources.

It will take much more significant investment in public schools through funding and community involvement to reverse the declines in enrollment and public perception that preceded this anti-public education movement. It will take more parents that care about not only their own children but those of others to have the opportunity to learn honest histories, see themselves wholly reflected in their curriculum, and to learn in a respectful and safe environment free of discrimination.

There will always be disagreements about how we frame history, how we understand identity, and even how we define respect. However, if we can agree that if we want to live in a society based upon some definition of mutual respect and tolerance, we cannot allow a discourse meant to divide us to dominate our school boards. Get involved in your local school board races, show up to events in your local schools, and show students and educators that you care about how we raise children into a diverse, democratic society. 

Avery Welkin (he/him/his) 

I was born in rural Oregon and grew up in Olympia, Washington, and as an adult I bounced back and forth between these states until settling with my partner back in Kitsap in 2017. In both states, I became active in the movements for immigration and racial justice, and I continue to work with Kitsap Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). Education has always been my passion, and after 6 years of working for public schools I am transitioning into working for a student support nonprofit on both the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. You can find past reflections on travel, spirituality, and organizing on my soon-to-be updated blog, electric hush.